These are our rookie wide receiver rankings for the upcoming NFL season:
1. Travis Hunter, Jacksonville
Positives: Has there been a more explosive player to come into the league since Tyreek Hill? The sky is the limit with Hunter, especially with Liam Coen’s inventive play calling.
Negatives: His route tree still needs work, and if he plays both offense and defense, will either suffer?
2. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina
Positives: Buzz out of Carolina is that he should be a lock for 130+ targets. He’s the Mike Evans of the Panthers offense.
Negatives: If Bryce Young plays like he did in the first eight weeks of 2024 instead of the last eight weeks.
3. Jayden Higgins, Houston
Positives: He’s walking right into the starting lineup and has a realistic chance of getting 60 catches for 850+ yards.
Negatives: Is C.J. Stroud’s injury worse than the Texans are letting on?
4. Matthew Golden, Green Bay
Positives: His speed is next level, and he has good hands to boot. Could become the WR1 quickly in Green Bay.
Negatives: The Packers receiving room is very deep, so it could take Golden a few weeks to separate from the rest.
5. Kyle Williams, New England
Positives: Creates instant separation at the line of scrimmage. Lightning fast getting down the field.
Negatives: Will New England throw enough to make Williams relevant as a rookie?
6. Luther Burden III, Chicago
Positives: Ben Johnson has always done a good job of scheming for his slot receivers. Burden is a good one, especially after the catch.
Negatives: Burden is a talented young player, but he’s going to have to share targets with a bevy of guys in Chicago.
7. Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay
Positives: He runs crisp, tight routes and has sure hands. Give him two or three years down the road, and he may be the Bucs best receiver.
Negatives: Egbuka is going to have to wait to see targets so long as Mike Evans is around, and Chris Godwin stays healthy.
8. Jack Bech, Las Vegas
Positives: He’s a talented receiver with a big catching radius and excellent hands.
Negatives: Being the WR2 in a Pete Carroll run-first offense is not a recipe for immediate success.
9. Tre Harris, Los Angeles Chargers
Positives: He’s a menace against man coverage and knows how to get separation.
Negatives: Veterans Mike Williams and Quentin Johnston are in his way, for now.
10. Savion Williams, Green Bay Packers
Positives: TCU used Williams as both a receiver and running back. Watch to see if Green Bay uses him in a similar way.
Negatives: Lots of mouths to feed in the Packers offense, and Williams might be used in specialty packages to start.
11. Jaylin Noel, Houston
Positives: Smart receiver who finds the spots in zone coverage. Hard to tackle after the catch.
Negatives: Houston just brought over Christian Kirk to be their starting slot receiver, so it may take Noel some time to work his way into the lineup.
12. Xavier Restrepo, Tennessee
Positives: Don’t discount the fact that he played college ball with Cam Ward. Ward is going to want him on the roster despite his lack of measurables.
Negatives: He’s on the smaller side and doesn’t have great speed.
13. Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit
Positives: Lions general manager Brad Holmes claimed that TeSlaa was his number one receiver in the draft, and they traded up to get him.
Negatives: He has a lot of work to do to get up to NFL speed and understand defensive coverages.
14. Pat Bryant, Denver
Positives: He’s sure-handed and runs great routes. Sean Payton compares him favorably to Michael Thomas.
Negatives: His 4.61 40-yard dash was one of the slower times at the combine.
15. Tony Horton, Seattle
Positives: Prior to his injury, he was one of the most productive receivers at the NCAA level. Has good speed and plays bigger than his size.
Negatives: His injury kept him out for much of 2024, and he’s just working his way back into game shape. He could be more of a project for 2025 than a producer.
16. Jalen Royals, Kansas City
Positives: Extremely productive in college and creates a ton of separation.
Negatives: Very crowded receiving room in Kansas City. Will likely be the WR5 and need an injury to see the playing field.
17. Jaylin Lane, Washington
Positives: Extremely fast and is already picking up the offense well.
Negatives: After the Commanders added Deebo Samuel in the off-season, Lane will likely be used more on special teams as a rookie than as a receiver.
18. Tai Felton, Minnesota
Positives: Felton will likely be the WR4 in Minnesota. He’s got tremendous speed, and they might end up scheming a couple of plays for him early on.
Negatives: Will take time for him to see enough targets to get comfortable in the offense.
19. Chimere Dike, Tennessee
Positives: High football IQ and unafraid to go over the middle to make plays.
Negatives: Might take him some time to stand out from the pack as he doesn’t do one thing well.
20. Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee
Positives: Smart receiver who is equally adept in the red zone as he is inside the 20’s.
Negatives: Very deep receiving room in Tennessee might restrict his snaps early on.